‘Genuine chance for progress towards hostage deal,’ say Trump envoys

Trump’s Middle East envoy and envoy on hostages tell families of Israelis still held in the Gaza Strip that after the return of Edan Alexander, the prospects for a hostage deal have increased.

By World Israel News Staff

Two senior officials from the Trump administration expressed guarded optimism regarding the prospects for a comprehensive hostage deal between Israel and Hamas following the release of 21-year-old dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander on Monday.

Less than 24 hours after Alexander’s release, President Donald Trump’s envoy for hostages, Adam Boehler, and the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, visited Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where they met with relatives of some of the 58 captives still held in the Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, Witkoff and Boehler said Hamas’ decision to release Alexander unconditionally as a goodwill gesture to the U.S. pointed to a greater willingness by the terror group to reach a compromise.

The two envoys are slated to travel to Doha, Qatar, for brokered talks aimed at using the momentum created by Alexander’s release to achieve a breakthrough between Israel and Hamas.

According to a statement by the Hostages Families Forum, Witkoff and Boehler met with relatives of the hostages for close to two hours.

Witkoff is said to have “assured the families that if he and Adam Boehler didn’t believe there was a genuine chance for progress in negotiations, they wouldn’t be making the trip to Doha.”

Trump’s Middle East envoy also emphasized that the United States “will accept nothing less than the return of everyone, as this is the president’s mission.”

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has signaled recently that Israel is poised to implement a plan approved by the Security Cabinet to seize control of the Gaza Strip and hold it permanently, Witkoff said, according to the Forum, that  “everyone would prefer to see a diplomatic solution, noting that most captivity survivors have been released through diplomatic means.”